Choosing a career can be a tough and intimidating decision to make. We are often told to follow our instincts and choose a career that we are passionate about. But what if there are many different career choices that you like? In this blog post, we will be taking a deep dive into potential ways and steps you can implement to help you decide the right career for you. I am by no means an advisor, so please do your own research before picking your career and use this blog post as simply a guideline.
Identify your interests and skills
The fundamental step for building a career is to identify what you love to do and what you’re good at. When making decisions, also consider areas which interest you, as having genuine passion is very important for developing a lasting career. It might be complicated to figure this out right away, and it is totally fine if you are having a difficult time with this step. Join clubs, try out extracurricular activities in different fields to gain exposure and see if you like doing it.
By doing this, you will:
– Discover Hidden Talent: You might find out some natural characteristics that you have and your interests, which you may not have known before.
– Build a Network: Aside from gaining exposure, building a network of people connects you with valuable mentors who can give advice and insight into their careers. Additionally, you can make new friends.
Booking an Appointment with your School Counsellor
Your school counsellor is an amazing person who can assist you with identifying possible career paths you could take. They also have many helpful resources that they can send your way. They can also assist you with completing the necessary courses that you need to pursue a specific program in a university, college or trade school.
Job Shadowing
Once you have narrowed down your potential career paths to two or three, job shadowing is a great way to gain in-depth insight about the duties that you would have in that career. Job shadowing involves observing a professional in a field as they work and complete their tasks. This is a highly effective method to help you pick a career path, as you would see everything they would have to go through and not just an outside glance. How to do it? You can reach out to local businesses and companies through social media platforms like LinkedIn to find someone you may have a connection with, like an alumnus from your school.
Internships
Though getting internships can be a difficult process, if you are able to successfully get into an internship or any work experience program in a related career of your interest, you will gain hands-on experience. This is the best way to see if you can handle the pressure and pace of a specific industry. Even if you decide that a specific career is not for you, the professional skills you gain are transferable to any job you pick later.
Talking with Adults and Professionals
Simply talking with those who are currently working and in the career you may want to pursue is a great way. They have been in your exact same position and will offer great advice to help you choose the right path for you.
Apart from these tips, there are also lots of resources online, like websites like myBluePrint, which you can use to gain an idea about a particular job or career.